The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-1, coming off a dispiriting upset loss to the New England Patriots, who were widely expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Bengals are coming off a season where they did not make the playoffs, and this year, they had a 10.5-win over/under, and their +1300 Super Bowl odds were sixth-best in the league.
But despite the poor start, the disappointing 2023 season, and the relative expectations, Bengals wideout Ja'Marr Chase believes his team is the best in its conference. And that includes giving his team a chance to beat the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs this weekend at Arrowhead Stadium.
"There's not no 'if.' We are the team to beat in the AFC, and we know it," Chase said, via CLNS Media. "We gotta act like it and we've got to play like it, too."
“There’s not no if. We are the team to beat in the AFC, and we know it. We gotta act like it and we’ve got to play like it,too.” pic.twitter.com/8hWSX8MGyS
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 12, 2024
The Bengals are underdogs heading into Kansas City, which is to be expected given how each team looked in Week 1 and the injury issues facing Cincinnati: Tee Higgins is unlikely to play, Kris Jenkins is out, and the Bengals could be down a few more key players. But Chase doesn't care about what the expectations are.
"We're not worried about outsiders," he said. "We're not worried about none of that that. All that noise y'all are making and stuff... we see it, hear it, but we're not worried about it. At the end of the day, it's about the team and what we're doing on the field."
